The Presence of a Lover
by Blue-Eyed-Hime26
Summary: Sasori watches the lover he left long ago sleeping soundly. This girl never deserved his abandon or his cruel words. It wasn't her fault that he was so attracted to the young girl.-Sasori POV. No specific girl so feel free to insert yourself as the lover!
1. Chapter 1

She's sleeping. Why is she sleeping? Can't she feel my presence as strongly as I feel hers? Hasn't it woken her, or startled her in the least?

No. It never does.

She's dreaming. I see it in the gentle creases of her flawless face.

Her lips are parted and they move ever so slightly. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of such an independent and hard-headed girl mumbling in her sleep.

In all honesty it was down right adorable.

Her eyebrows draw together and her lips close into a tight, thin line.

She's upset in her dream. Something is upsetting her and marring her beautiful face. Her lips part and she begins talking again.

"Sasori... Turn around... Please..."

She begged of me in her sleep. Turn around? Whatever for?

"Don't leave... Turn around and see me... I'm crying... For you..."

My heart stops. I remembered the day I left remarkably well. I had seen her since that day, buy she hadn't seen me in years.

She didn't understand why, and at the time neither did I. She distracted me and turned my brain off whenever she wanted to with a slow smile or a shift of her body. I was confused at the feeling of helplessness to a small girl. A child of only 14 while I was 18. But when I realized that it was arousal that made me so helpless I panicked. And I quickly packed up and left her for her own safety.

"You're an S-ranked criminal. I assume you can take care of yourself now. If not, you're pitiful. Either way, I'm finished babysitting you.

Contact Leader-sama if you're so dependant on a nanny, but my work here is done."

My own words echoed back in my head and I clamped my hands on my ears.

The words stung me and I could only imagine what I'd done to the poor girl.

For about 2 years we were each other's mostly companions. We stayed at a base by ourselves and traveled everywhere together. I admit that if

I had suddenly lost her I would be frantic. I was her rock to lean on and I yanked myself out from under her and let the helpless girl hit the ground hard.

She was just a kid in a grown-up's club. Akatsuki wasn't for children and she was thrown into the life of a hated and spiteful criminal well before she was ready.

Was anyone really ever ready for that?

She was just a defenseless girl with a power she didn't ask for, forced to grow up faster than she should have.

I let my hand rest feather-light over her cheek. I swore I saw her lips turn up at the closeness. I gently let my hand rest on her face and I looked around the base we used to share sadly. Every time I visited I noticed that not she hasn't touched a single thing in my room. It all remained exactly as I'd left it, tempting me to lay down in my bed and return to her.

It was a sad sight. For years she stayed by herself, training and occasionally sleeping and eating. She looked like a doll in a real person's house when she lay there, curled up in a ball alone. The whole world seemed too big for her and the only thing that had ever brought her up to size was me by her side.

With me there, she had fit perfectly. On the rare times when I allowed her to hold my hand because she was 'scared to get lost in the crowd',

I noticed how she seemed to fit with me like 2 conjoined puzzle pieces. The rest of the world just didn't match up with her.

I placed my lips on her forehead and pulled back slowly. I remembered the time I had done that and nearly had a heart attack.

It was after I left, on one of my first secret visits. I placed a kiss on her that quite literally set my lips on fire. She was burning up and tossing in a fitful sleep.

She was sick. And I was scared to death.

She was in this big place, all alone with no one to care for her. I had actually almost planned on revealing myself to her, but I held back.

I checked back in every night the rest of that week. She was getting sickly thin and pale. When she was practically in a coma-like state of sleep I would gather her broken and jaded body in my arms and cradle her, crying softly into her hair. I didn't know what to do and if something horrible happened to her, I would be to blame.

One night, holding her limp body in my lap, I had had enough of seeing her in pain. I laid her gently back onto her bed and left to get her medicine.

Returning the next night with a medicine I had spent hours making, my jaw dropped. She was sleeping soundly with rosy cheeks and all, curled up with a sad smile on her face.

I chuckled putting the medicine in my old room, knowing that she never went in there.

Without even realizing it that kid always drove me crazy. In more ways than one.

She jerked slightly and I pulled my face away from hers and suddenly felt ridiculous. I intended to come back eventually, why not tonight?

Because I'm still so insanely attracted to her?

Because she still has power over me?

Because I can't control myself around her and I don't want to hurt the fragile girl?

No. None of the above. I'm returning to her tonight. She deserves happiness and all that I can possibly offer her, which, right now, is me.

I rested a hand on her waist and another cupped her cheek...

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Shhh. It's alright my love. You can open your eyes now. I'll protect you now. We can be happy now.

That's it… Your eyes are slowly opening now. They slowly fall shut again before snapping back open. You rub your eyes furiously as if in disbelief.

Tch, you're really too cute sometimes. You whisper my name. I smile sadly because it's all I can do when I see that flash of pain in your eyes. I have no words to describe how sorry I am. I have no reward to give you for being so strong. I have nothing but myself to offer you.

You take my hand off of your cheek and into your own hand, holding onto it for dear life. Making sure I can't leave you any longer. But don't you worry; my heart is already anchored so heavily to you I would never make it far.

Is the happiness I feel right now the same that you're feeling? Because if it is, it was so worth the wait. I take a moment to compose myself and tear my eyes away from you. I open my mouth silently, searching for the words to say but none present themselves to me. Feeling a fool, I slowly close my mouth once again.

Your eyes light up when you laugh, I can't help but notice. I wonder how many laughs were wasted, holed up inside you all those times when you were given nothing to laugh about. How many laughs did I deprive you of? I hope to gain them all back in due time.

Ah, as expected. I cannot detain your attention for long. You speak no words but the hurt look in your eyes and the stern expression on your face makes it obvious that you want answers. Answers that I cannot give to you.

I guess my face portrays my emotions as well as yours for once because your face falls unhappily. Did I make it that obvious that I had nothing to say in my defense?

Oh no. You're…. _getting up_? Are you leaving? No, just trying to take up a more dominant position by sitting instead of laying. It was at that moment when you almost walked out on me that I really truly realized how coldly I left you. How shamelessly I left my desert flower to wilt in the harsh rains you were so unprepared for.

Damn me. Damn me to hell. At the very least you deserve an explanation and I know that! Believe me I do! The words and phrases seem to escape me infinitely and my mind is melting just to be able to sit here with you again.

The second word spoken is me saying your name this time. It feels foreign on my tongue. Like something that should only exist in another universe or in my dreams. But then again, you are in my dreams. Every single one. A dream would not even be complete without a glimpse of your face.

You turn to look at me with a single tear rolling down your face.

"Why?"

The question hit me hard and even after preparing myself for it, I was still so hopelessly unprepared. It was the raw pain and sorrow in your voice. It was the single tear, as lonely as you.

No, it was not you at all. It was me. Stupid, ignorant, cold-hearted me. In my mind I could imagine myself easily producing a simple and emotionless response. But, faced with the actual situation was proving my heart to be more real than the wooden shell of a body let on.

For a second I actually have the indecency to be angered with _you_. I hate that you broke me. In my panic I actually assumed that you did it on purpose to weaken me. But that is so horribly unlike you I bite my tongue.

You would never try to harm me the same way I did to you. My tongue becomes thick and my throat is dry as a desperately scramble for an answer.

God, just _one _answer is all I need!

And I just found it.

"I love you."

Oops. Too late to take it back now… Your face is really priceless. I wish I had a camera… But it's alright. I promise you that I will never forget this moment. You lips move in a silent word before you shake your head angrily.

"Stop toying with me, Sasori!"

You… _what? _You think that I'm joking? From the steady stream of tears that you are now producing I see that you actually think that way. I don't know how to find the courage to possibly saying it again. I begin to say your name but you cut me off with an angry sob and a desperate punch that was obviously not meant to hurt me.

Okay, okay. I try to calm you down but you stand suddenly and rush to the window.

Oh God no.

I roughly pull you away from the open window and slam it shut behind me. I whirl around to face you and possibly yell at you but I find myself unable to due to your current position,

You look so awful there, kneeling with you head in your hands and tears leaking through your fingers. Your fingers are gripped tightly in your silky locks with fury. What have I reduced you to? All those months of training and this is how you show me how hard you've worked? By falling at my feet in a blubbering heap?

God, I love you.

I love your vulnerability that I would never see in any of the other Akatsuki members. I love your raw emotion. I love that you feel so generously. I love that you love.

I walk over to the mess of tears that is you, the girl I love. I demand that you look at me. You refuse and I can't help but smile. Gently I lift your chin so that you can look directly at me and I can stare deep into the depths of your soul. I can look inside of you and see all of the hidden anger and sorrow.

And I want it gone.

So I decide to take it out on my own.

By kissing you.

You're surprised and actually jump back for a moment. When you see the innocent smile on my face you wipe the tears from your face with one final sniffle. And then you do it.

You smile.

So I kiss you again. And this time all the emotions inside you are released into me. I happily take your burden as our lips melt together.

And then I know that you finally feel my presence as well.

A/n Completed! And with over 2,000 words! Woohoo! I may make an epilogue to this, depending on how caught up I get with my other stories…

Thanks for reading!

Ja ne!


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